Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

I finished reading Rules of Civility at the end of 2023, making it the second book I read last year. It was given to me as a gift two Christmases ago after I put it in my Secret Santa wishlist. I requested it because I enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, written by the same author Amor Towles.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Rules of Civility tells the story of Katey Kontent, a bold, street-smart, and ambitious woman who gets thurst into the political and manipulative world of upper class society in New York in the 1930s. It's not hard to root for Katey, who relies on her good sense and astute ability to read people (for the most part) to find her way. Along her journey, she encounters many compelling characters, including Tinker Grey, a wealthy and charming banker whom she meets by chance at a bar on New Year's Eve.

It's a really engaging book, partly because the characters are fleshed out very well and partly because Katey's path is full of unexpected twists and turns, made even more complicated by the relationships she has with the people around her. Arguably the biggest plot twist comes in a bit earlier than I anticipated, mainly because in most plots, these revelations usually come close to the end. There's a moment in the book that I found to be quite heartbreaking and the ending left me with a bit of a lingering sadness, but I always find these evocative stories to be the best and most memorable ones.

I really do enjoy the books of Amor Towles that I read because he creates such interesting characters and weaves riveting stories. I have one more of his books - The Lincoln Highway - which I hope I get to read some time this year.

Welcome 2024!

Happy New Year! As is our family tradition, we celebrated New Year at home. I brought lots of food and my family heard mass together.

New Year Mass

Looking back, I have to say that 2023 was for the most part an amazing year. The highlight was me being able to take my mom and my nephews to Japan. We visited Osaka (with side trips to Kyoto and Nara) and Tokyo. It was my first international trip since the pandemic started and it was also the first time my nephews traveled abroad as adults. It was a fantastic and very memorable trip.

I also got to enjoy many restaurants, a lot of them for the first time and many of them with my family, including La Spezia, Half Saints, Escolta, Azadore, and Old Manila. I finally got to try Toyo Eatery with my friends. I discovered St. Louis Cafe, which I ended up visiting multiple times throughout the year. I also revisited many of my favorite restaurants, such as Old Swiss Inn and Bizu.

More highlights: I watched Hamilton with my family. At work, I got two new Scrum Certifications: Professional Scrum Master and Professional Agile Leadership: Evidence-Based Management. I had a bit of Swedish nostalgia as I visited Ikea Philippines and remembered my short stint in Sweden many years ago. I had a very efficient and pleasant car registration experience at QCIS. I got to play more of my previously unplayed board games. I read two books: Under the Whispering Door and Rules of Civility (which I still have to write about about).

I also finished the personal project that I started during the pandemic: writing throwback posts about trips I took before I started my blog. I finally got to write about my travels to Mt. Pulag, Tuguegarao, and Mexico. Cool!

Of course, it wasn't all positive. I lost some really important people in my life last year, including my grandmother whom we fondly call Nanay. Two of my cousins also passed on: Maricel and Via.

Still, I am very thankful that I continue to have wonderfully amazing and enriching moments with my family and friends. Hopefully, 2024 will be another great year. Cheers!